The Preface
First let me start by reminding you all that I live in a small town now. To further accentuate my point, allow me to explain our shopping situation here in Durango. Our "mall" consists of approximately 15 stores, depending on how many of them are out of business at any given time. The major stores in the mall are JC Penny's ("serving Durango since 18 something-something"), Linens 'n Things, Pier 1, a Sears that only sells appliances and lawn mowers, and an array of small no name department stores usually headquartered in the mid-west that rotate through the main department store space before dying a slow death. Since we've been here I believe there have been three stores in that storefront. We also have several teenie bopper stores including - oddly enough - Pacific Sunwear. Half the kids in Durango couldn't tell you which direction the Pacific is from here, but whatever.
The only store in town that offers a maternity department is Wal Mart. A brief word picture of the Wal Mart maternity department: pathetic. It consists of one rack of clothes roughly 3 feet wide and 6 feet tall directly next to the five racks of surgical scrubs which, frankly are quite attractive in comparison.
The Rant
So the pregnant girl is going to rant about the poor selection of maternity clothes in her small town. Real original Shel. WRONG! I've discovered a surprisingly lush selection of maternity clothes here in Durango. It's just not exactly where I might have expected. I have good news for my preggo friends across the country (at my last count, I have 6 friends besides myself who are in various stages of incubation). Unfortunately this news may prove disturbing for mothers of teenage girls everywhere.
I, a 20-blah-blah-year-old, six month pregnant, married woman have been buying most of my clothes in the junior's department. Pregnant women everywhere rejoice! There's a wealth of cute, fun tops roomy enough to carry you well into the 7th month readily available to you (and for cheap too!). It just so happens that these adorable maternity clothes are being marketed to your 15-year-old cousin.
I must admit, shopping in the
junior's section while obviously knocked up has earned me a few uncomfortable moments. I don't think I look THAT young, but I've noticed several concerned and disapproving looks from moms shopping with their daughters. I just smile and try to reach for things with my left hand. Just last weekend, a mother less than five feet away from me said to her daughter rather loudly, "No honey. Pick a smaller size. I don't want you wearing those blousy tops, they might make you look pregnant." Huh, I wonder what could have given her that idea. Perhaps the fact that I was wearing the shirt pictured below, which was purchased on a recent outing to the junior's department at TJ Maxx in Farmington.
Maybe I should just be grateful for this unfortunate shift in the winds of fashion. Instead I'm somewhat concerned with the fashion sense of America's youth. While I think we can all agree that this trend is far less offensive than the "bad catholic schoolgirl" belly shirt look that was popular in my high school days, it's still slightly disturbing. A young lady with inattentive parents could easily disguise a bun in the oven for several months before coming clean to the unsuspecting grandparents-to-be. I only hope that by shopping in the same area as the impressionable youth of my town I will help to snap them out of this tent-as-a-top fad. My secret, devious hope is that I walk into the local coffee shop and run into some snotty teen queen - perhaps one who's been rude to my cousin lately - and she'll be wearing the same outfit as me.
